This film is part of Free
Strategy for Victory
Amid the tightening tensions of the Cold War, all that stands between Europe and the threat of Communism are American ingenuity and resources, according to this 1951 report.
Overview
This 1951 March of Time report opens with grim footage of United Nations troops retreating from the Communist onslaught in Korea and ends with the delighted expressions on the faces of European leaders as they celebrate the appointment of Dwight D. Eisenhower as the man in charge of NATO’s military operations. The message is clear: Europe in 1951 was too weak to withstand the Communist threat without help from the USA; and Russia too dangerous for America to ignore.
Fears about Soviet military power were at a heightened level following the Russian’s first successful atom bomb test in 1949 and although the North Atlantic Treaty had been signed in April 1949, a military structure to co-ordinate action was not properly set up until the appointment of Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander Europe in 1951. This film praises America’s commitment to Europe, takes a sideswipe at US isolationists such as Joe Kennedy and manages to patronise England, France and most of Europe, making it one of the less appealing issues in the series.
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